With the recent advancement in multi-pixel x-ray sources, for example based on carbon nanotube field emission technology, new scanning geometries may be designed to balance the cost between multi-pixel x-ray tubes and the combination of detector array and data acquisition electronics.
Recently, new scanning geometries have been proposed to improve image quality for single rotation, single organ scans. However, the proposed implementations of these new geometries cumbersome or impractical. For example, a saddle curve scanning geometry was proposed to be implemented by tilting gantry or table. It is impractical, however, to tilt the table back and forth when scanning the patient, and it is also mechanically difficult to tilt the gantry back and forth while the gantry is rotating at high speed. Stationary CT (and tomo-synthesis) scanning systems have the advantage of low maintenance cost compared to the conventional rotating scanning systems. It is difficult, however, to realize such as a system using an electron beam scanning source.
Accordingly, there is a need for CT scanning systems and methods that have improved geometries and provide improved image quality, using multi-pixel x-ray sources.